Calblog

Osama's Encoded Plea for Mercy

The great milblog Belmont Club decodes the essential message of Bin Laden’s latest videotape:

It is important to notice what [OBL] has stopped saying in this speech. He has stopped talking about the restoration of the Global Caliphate. There is no more mention of the return of Andalusia. There is no more anticipation that Islam will sweep the world. He is no longer boasting that Americans run at the slightest wounds; that they are more cowardly than the Russians. He is not talking about future operations to swathe the world in fire but dwelling on past glories. He is basically saying if you leave us alone we will leave you alone. Though it is couched in his customary orbicular phraseology he is basically asking for time out.

The American answer to Osama's proposal will be given on Election Day. One response is to agree that the United States of America will henceforth act like Sweden, which is on track to become majority Islamic sometime after the middle of this century. The electorate best knows which candidate will serve this end; which candidate most promises to be European-like in attitude and they can choose that path with both eyes open. The electorate can strike that bargain and Osama may keep his word. The other course is to reject Osama's terms utterly; to recognize the pleading in his outwardly belligerent manner and reply that his fugitive existence; the loss of his sanctuaries; the annihilation of his men are but the merest foretaste of what is yet to come: to say that to enemies such as he, the initials 'US' will always mean Unconditional Surrender.

Osama has stated his terms. He awaits America's answer.

As the commentary above indicates, since 911, we've opened some serious cans of Whoop@$$ on the turbaned heads of al-Queda and its sympathizers.

Gone are some of OBL's more fantastic pronouncements of American/infidel doom. My, my, how things have changed since 9/11; now the sheik promises to make nice if we will pretty please stop pummeling his terror network. Sorry, Binny—we tried Clinton's do-nothing policy throughout the 1990's, and all it got us was a bunch of increasingly audacious attacks, culminating in 9/11.

Seems that the Bush doctrine has OBL's nickers turban in a knot. I like it when al-Queda's kingpin tries to arrange a truce; it tells us more than perhaps anything else just how much progress we've made in barely over three years against the specter of international terrorism.

We've come too far out of the smoking ruins of 9/11 to wander back toward them for lack of resolve to finish that work so nobly begun. We've given up too many brave soldiers in this great war on terror to grant Bin Laden a reprieve at the moment he is reduced to talking truce. His weakness should fill us with renewed zeal to finish the wretch and his henchmen once and for all. There's no turning back now; no turning back to a "Global Test;" no turning back to a show of hands from America-hating countries at the U.N. At least not if we know what's good for us.

As rightly noted at Belmont Club, "The American answer to Osama's proposal will be given on Election Day."

(hat tip Hinderaker at powerlineblog)

Posted by clark smith at October 31, 2004 01:36 AM | TrackBack